Tube winding device



OCt. 21, G, BA

TUBE WINDING DEVICE Filed July 12, 1967 FIG. 2

INVENTOR GENE BALLIN ATTORNEYS 3,473,698 TUBE WINDING DEVICE GeneBallin, 3045 Shore Drive, Merrick, N.Y. 11566 Filed July 12, 1967, Ser.No. 652,906 Int. Cl. B65d 35/34 US. Cl. 222-460 11 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A collapsible tube contents expelling device having awinding key located within a housing containing a slot in its surfacefor insertion of a flexible tube. The winding key is movably mounted inthe housing to allow it to be located adjacent to the slot in thehousing during initial insertion of the tube. The winding key and thehousing are both open at the same end to permit removal of the evacuatedtube without unrolling of the tube.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to dispensing apparatus and more particularly to a dispensingdevice for extracting the contents of collapsible tubes.

Description of prior art Collapsible tubes are generally incapable ofbeing completely evacuated due to improper squeezing of the tube by theuser and distortion of the tube as the contents are removed. A largequantity of material purchased by the consumer is retained within thetube after the user has attempted to manually evacuate the tube andcannot be removed without opening the tube in a manner not intended bythe manufacturer. The opening of a tube by tearing or cutting results ina mess and eliminates further protection of the contents of thecollapsible tube.

In the past there have been a number of devices known in the art fordispensing material from a collapsible tube. These devices, however,have inherently been defective and have been incapable of providing thenecessary combination of desirable factors. Many dispensers havecontained a rigid exterior cabinet to completely enclose the tube, sothat although the tube becomes smaller in overall size as the contentsare expelled, the cabinet size remains fixed, thereby reducing theamount of useable space in a medicine cabinet or other storagecompartment. Other prior art devices have included complicatedmechanical linkage systems which are prone to breakage and expensive tomanufacture. Other of the prior art devices are incapable of reuseableapplications and consequently are expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention of the within applicationovercomes the above disadvantages and provides an inexpensive reuseabledispensing device of limited displacement and low manufacturing cost.The device of this application consists of two pieces. A hollow outerholder, which may be of any desired shape, is provided with a slottedaperture, open at one end, along one of its sides of suflicient widthand length to receive a collapsed tube. One end of the holder is closedexcept for a slot designed to receive a roller element of circularcross-section which engages the end of the tube. Both the roller elementand the holder can be removed from the tube without unwinding thecompressed tube. The opposite end of the housing is open, therebyallowing the tube to be removed after complete dispensing of thecontents without disassembly of the device.

nited States Patent 3,473,698 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 ice The inventionwill be described in greater detail below and in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a collapsible tube and thedispensing device;

FIGURE 2 is a partial cross-section of the dispensing device showing acollapsible tube inserted;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section along line 33 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an end view from the open end of the dispensing deviceshowing a collapsible tube completely rolled into the dispensing device;and

FIGURE 5 is an end view from the open end of a second embodiment of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGURES l, 2 and 3,the dispensing device consists of two elements; a winding element 10 anda holder 11. Both elements may be formed by injection molding or othersuitable molding techniques from synthetic materials such as, forexample, polypropylene, polystyrene, cellulose acetate, cellulosenitrate or various other compounds. Further, the device may be made ofmetal if so desired.

The winding element 10 consists of a roller shaft 12 of substantiallycircular cross-section having a handle 13 integrally attached at oneend. Shaft 12 is hollow and is open at end 14. A U-shaped slot 15 isprovided in the surface of the shaft and extends from near handle .13 toend 14 so that the end of a compressible tube placed in the slot can heslipped out of the open end.

The finger engaging handle 13 may be of any suitable configuration,including a pair of oppositely disposed finger engaging surfaces asshown in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the holder 11 is of a generally hollowshape, including a substantially cylindrical outer surface 16. A slot 17is provided in the surface 16 of holder 11 and is open at one end. Theslot is of sufficient length so that the closed end of a compressibletube will fit in it. Slot .17 communicates with the bore 18 of theholder.

Aflixed to the outer edges of slot 17 are two lips or flanges 19 and 20which converge toward slot 17. The lips or flanges 19 and 20 serve thefunctions of compressing the tube being emptied as it passes throughslot 17. In addition, the flanges prevent the tube from rupturing as itwould if it were permitted to bend back and forth at the slot 17. Also,the flanges tend to straighten the tube, removing kinks and facilitatingdischarge of the tube. The flanges also tend to orient the tube withregard to the housing thereby permitting the entire unit to be storedvertically as will be explained below.

Holder 11 is further provided with a fixed end Wall 21 at one end of theholder. End wall 21 is provided with a slot 22 which extends from apoint near slot 17 to the middle of end wall 21. The opposite end of theholder is open or may be provided with a removable end wall (not shown)which can be used to prevent contaminants from entering, but which iscapable of opening to remove a compressed tube. The removable end wallwill also reinforce the strength of holder 11.

A pair of legs 22 and 23 support holder 11 so as to align slot 17horizontally when the unit is placed on a flat surface. This Will permitthe unit with a flexible tube attached to be stored in a verticalposition thereby reducing the amount of space necessary in a medicinecabinet.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3, shaft 12 is further provided with aprojection 24 spaced from handle 13 by a distance corresponding to thethickness of end wall 21.

3 Projection 24 is resilient when force is applied from the direction ofthe handle to insert shaft 12 through the end wall, but tends to benon-resilient when force is applied in the opposite direction. Thehandle and shaft combination 13 and 12 is inserted through slot 22, sothat projection 24 is on the inside surface of end wall 21. Theprojection will fold or compress to pass through the slot and wheninside will retain the winding element in position.

Although a projection 24 is shown, an annular groove of a width slightlygreater than the end wall 21 can be substituted in shaft 12. In thiscase the diameter of the shaft will be slightly larger than slot 22 sothat upon insertion of the shaft, the end wall will bend inwardly andsnap into the annular groove. The unit will then function in the samemanner as with projection 24. It is seen in FIG. 2 that projection 24serves to both act as a snap-in retaining means, as well as means formaintaining substantial perpendicularity between shaft 12 and end wall21.

In operation, shaft 12 is rotated around its longitudinal axis and movedlaterally in slot 22 until slot is aligned in close proximity with slot17. The collapsible tube used in connection with this device norm-allyincludes a soft deformable body 25 and a closed lower end 26 which iscrimped or provided with a clip. The tube is engaged with the windingelement 10 by inserting the end 26 through slot 17 into bore 18 untilthe tube end engages slot 15 in shaft 12. This results in thepositioning of the tube body 25 within slot 17 so that subsequentrotation of the handle 13 results in compressing the tube to expel thecontents thereof. When the tube has been completely exhausted it assumesthe condition shown in FIGURE 4. The device may then be disengaged fromthe exhausted tube by sliding the exhausted tube out of the open end ofthe housing while in a rolled condition. After disengagement, the devicemay be reused. The device thereby has the advantage of being easilyreused without requiring unrolling of the tube or disassembly of thedevice.

The provision of slot 22 in the end wall permits the engagement of theshaft with a completely full tube by placing the slot 15 in closeproximity to the crimped end of the tube. Further, placement of slot 22in its particularly advantageous location permits the entire tube to berolled into the interior of the compressing element while allowing thewinding element 10 to move toward the center of the housing as the tubeis fully exhausted. Provision of a slot in the end wall therefor permitseasy initial placement of the collapsible tube in the device andautomatic compensation for the increased thickness of the windingelement and evacuated tube as the tube is compressed.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG- URE 5. Theexterior housing 26 is formed generally in a box shape to facilitateprinting of advertising material. An aperture 27 is provided in one wallof the box and extends the length of the housing. The aperture is openat one end and is of sufiicient length to accommodate the width of acompressible tube.

A pair of compressing surfaces 28 and 29 are mounted interior of opening27 and form a narrow passage 30 through which the compressed tube maypass. A pair of arc-shaped guide members 31 and 32 are disposed on theends of surfaces 28 and 29 and assist in compressing the tube andaligning it on the tube winder 35.

Housing 26 is further provided with a single end wall 33. A slot 34 isformed in wall 33 to permit the winding element 35, which is of the samegeneral configuration as the winding element of the first embodiment, tomove either toward or away from slot 30. Winding element 35 is providedwith a slot 36 which receives the crimped end of a collapsible tube. Theslot 36 of the shaft is aligned with slot 30 during insertion of thetube so that the end of the uncompressed tube can be gripped by thewinding device.

A second removable end wall (not shown) may be provided across the openend of the housing 26. The end wall will retain the unit in a sanitarycondition but can be removed when it is desired to remove the fullycompressed tube. In addition, the removable end wall will providedimensional stability while the unit is in use.

In operation, turning of the tube winder 35 with a tube in place willresult in a progressive compression of the tube. The tube will beinitially compressed by the tapered compressing surfaces 28 and 29,shown in FIG. 5. Continued turning of the tube winder will result in theportion of the tube which was initially compressed being forced to passaround and against either of the corners created by the surfaces ofguide members 31 and 32, depending upon the direction of rotation of thetube winder 35. These surfaces of guide members 31 and 32 providesecondary compression means which further compress the initiallycompressed tube portions, as is readily seen in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 furtherdiscloses the fact that as the tube portions which have been evacuated,as just described, are wound upon the tube winder, these wound tubeportions provide surfaces against which successive portions of the sametube are pressed against.

After compression of the tube and expulsion of the contents, the tube isremoved from the device in the same manner as in the first embodiment.The tube is merely moved toward the open end of the device and slippedout of the two slots, i.e., slot 30 in the housing and slot 36 in theshaft. The device is then ready to receive a second tube of material tobe dispensed.

It should be obvious from FIGS. 1-5 that both of the embodimentsdescribed above include the feature of the ability of tube windingelements 10 and 35 to be rotated either in the clockwise direction orcounterclockwise direction. This enables the user to have a choice ofdirections in which he may turn the handle of this invention indispensing the contents of a tube.

The device of this application is highly useful and provides a simpleefiicient device for expelling the contents of tubes without waste andwith a minimum of effort on the part of the user. The device requires nomore than ordinary skill to operate and may be manufactured at anextremely low cost. Due to the lack of necessity for metallic parts, thedevice is free from rust and corrosion throughout its useful life.Further, it can be easily cleaned to maintain a sanitary condition whilein use. In addition, the device only requires two parts which arepermanently joined thereby reducing the possibility of misfunction andincreasing the life expectancy of the unit.

It is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is merely oneembodiment and that the scope of protection is that accorded by theaccompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Portable apparatus for use with collapsible flexible tubes which haveopen and closed ends, comprising a housing defining a bore therein andfurther including a wall disposed at one end of said bore, an end ofsaid bore op posite said wall being open, a pair of relatively immovablespaced elongated first compression surfaces integral With and held rigidby said wall, said first compression surfaces extending at an angle withrespect to one another. second compression surfaces communicating withsaid first compression surfaces, said second compression surfacesdefining an elongated opening therebetween of a length suflicient toaccommodate a collapsible flexible tube, said opening communicating withsaid bore, said opening extending along an axis which extends within alongitudinal plane of symmetry of a portion of said housing includingsaid first compression surfaces, said plane of symmetry extendingbetween said first compression surfaces. said Wall being formed with aslot therethrough having a longitudinal axis extending within said planeof symmetry, a tube winding element comprising an elongated shaftportion ending through said slot and rotatable clockwise orcounter-clockwise within said bore from a generally central positionwithin said bore to a position sub stantially adjacent said secondcompression surfaces when said tube winding element is in an assembledposition, said shaft portion including holding means for releasablyreceiving the closed end of a tube, means at an external end of theshaft portion for rotating said shaft, and projection means cooperatingwith said shaft for enabling unrernovable insertion of said shaftportion through said slot, said projection means further maintainingsubstantial perpendicularity of said shaft with respect to said wallduring rotation of said shaft.

2. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said shaft portionwithin said bore is hollow throughout its length.

3. Portable apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means forreleasably receiving the closed end of a tube comprises a shaft slotformed by said shaft portion and communicating with the hollow thereof,said shaft slot extending substantially the length of said shaft portionwithin said bore.

4. Portable apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said shaft slot andthe hollow of said shaft portion both extend to an end of said shaftportion opposite said rotating means.

5. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projectionmeans comprises a flange extending from said shaft portion at a distancefrom said rotating means the magnitude of which is slightly larger thanthe thickness of said wall.

6. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotating meanscomprises a handle.

7. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said firstcompression surfaces are disposed within said housing.

3. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said firstcompression surfaces are disposed outside said housing.

9. Portable apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means forpermitting said housing to stand upright when a tube is engagedtherewith.

10. Portable apparatus for use with collapsible flexible tubes whichhave open and closed ends, comprising a housing defining a substantiallycylindrical bore and further including a pair of rigid, relativelyimmovable spaced elongated flanges extending at an angle with respect toone another from said bore, said flanges being of a length sufficient toaccommodate a collapsible flexible tube and including first compressionsurfaces extending at said angle with respect to one another, secondcompression surfaces forming a continuation of said first compressionsurfaces and defining generally rounded spaced edges which define afirst opening in communication with said substantially cylindrical bore,a rigid wall integral with said flanges for holding the flanges insubstantially fixed relationship with respect to one another, said wallextending substantially perpendicular with respect to and defining anend of said substantially cylindrical bore, said wall defining a slottherethrough which extends along an axis extending within a longitudinalplane of symmetry of said housing which extends between said flanges;and a tube winding element adapted to be permanently snapped into andbeing cooperable with said housing, comprising an elongated hollow shaftextending within said bore when said tube winding element is in anassembled position and defining a longitudinally extending aperturethrough a surface thereof, said shaft extending through said slot andbeing laterally restrained by portions of said Wall defining the slot,holding means for releasably engaging the closed end of a collapsibleflexible tube when said tube winding element is in said assembledposition, said holding means including shaft edges defining saidaperture, said aperture extending to one end of said shaft, meansdisposed external of said wall when said tube winding element is in saidassembled position and being integral with said shaft for rotating theshaft within said bore, projection means integral with said shaft forenabling assembly of said tube winding element into said assemblyposition and preventing removal of the tube Winding element afterassembly, said projection means including a projection of the shaftextending radially therefrom, said projection engaging interior surfaceportions of said wall when said tube winding element is in saidassembled position, said projection means further maintainingperpendicularity of said shaft with respect to said wall during rotationof the shaft within said bore.

11. Portable apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising acollapsible flexible tube having an open end and a closed end, said tubeextending in contact with said first and second compression surfacesthrough said first opening and in wrapped configuration around saidshaft during use of said portable apparatus such that the closed end ofsaid tube engages said holding means, said tube extending such that itis collapsed to a transverse dimension less than the magnitude of saidfirst opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,808,963 10/1957 Farrow 222-2,896,822 7/1959 Songer 22299 2,986,309 5/1961 Larson 222563 X 3,127,0633/1964 Fairchild 222-563 X FOREIGN PATENTS 212,770 1/1961 Austria.

798,687 3/1936 France.

987,300 4/ 1951 France.

544,352 2/1932 Germany.

582,260 9/ 1958 Italy.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner

